Many people think excitement is happiness... But when you are excited you are not peaceful. True happiness is based on peace.

Compassion is a verb.

Smile, breathe, and go slowly.

Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.

The role of Zen is neither to stand above life nor to run away from it, but to face it with a spirit of determination.

Man suffers only because he takes seriously what the gods made for fun.

The measure of success in spiritual life is how peaceful you are.

The noting mind and the object noted appear to occur as a pair. Through concentration they are seen to arise and vanish together.

We can learn to be present with whatever is happening in our lives, and in this way, we can begin to transform our relationship to difficulty.

Don't be afraid of the future. The future is good.

The mind is the forerunner of all things. Our present life is the result of our past thoughts, and our future life will be the result of our present thoughts.

Meditation is the road to happiness.

The six realms of existence are like a dream, why build a prison for yourself?

If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.

True peace comes not from controlling the world, but from letting go of control.

Metta (loving-kindness) becomes truly effective only when it arises from a peaceful mind, a pure mind, a balanced mind.

When mindfulness and concentration are strong, insight into the three characteristics naturally unfolds.

The one who grasps at existence suffers in samsara, while the one who grasps at non-existence will find no liberation.

To see directly is to be free of hope and fear. Hope and fear are like a cloud before the sun.

Enlightenment is intimacy with all things.

If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.

When you recognize that pain and suffering are impermanent, you become free.

The force of the kindness of others is so strong, we can't possibly measure it.

The Four Noble Truths are not merely theoretical propositions but a framework for understanding and transforming our experience.

The biggest prison is the one we build in our own mind.

The way is basically perfect. It is not a matter of practice or enlightenment.

The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently.

We need the courage to learn from our experience and the wisdom to be willing to change and grow.

The cultivation of loving-kindness has the power to transform enmity into amity, hostility into hospitality.

Look at situations from all angles, and you will become more open.

The essence of Buddhist practice is to reduce our selfishness and to work for the benefit of others.

Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.

When you walk in the mist, you get wet.